WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced legislation aimed at combating racial discrimination against natural hair and protective hairstyles traditionally worn by Black people. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act bans discrimination based on hairstyles commonly associated with race including tightly coiled or curled hair, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and more. U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) introduced companion legislation on the House side.
Although existing federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, several federal courts have narrowly construed those protections to permit schools, workplaces, and federally funded institutions to discriminate against people of color who wear certain types of natural or protective hairstyles.
The CROWN Act provides explicit protection against racial discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles associated with African heritage.
“Everyone, regardless of their race or background, should be able to show up every day to school or work or life and embrace their racial identity without fear of prejudice or bias,” said Senator Booker. “Numerous states have already enacted legislation to prohibit hair discrimination, and the CROWN Act is a bipartisan federal effort to ensure that Black people can wear their hair freely in a natural or protective hairstyle.”
“It is wrong that Americans – particularly those within the Black community – continue to face discrimination based on how they choose to style their natural hair,” said Senator Collins. “This is an issue of basic fairness and equality, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill and stand against discrimination in all of its forms.”
“We cannot control the way our hair grows out of our head any more than we can control the color of our skin,” said Representative Watson Coleman. “Discrimination against hair texture is racial discrimination, plain and simple. Nobody deserves to be denied the opportunity to thrive in the workplace, excel in school, or contribute their talents to the world simply because of their hair. I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation with my House colleagues and Senator Booker. I strongly encourage House leadership to take up this bill, which has passed in 27 states, led by both Republican and Democratic governments.”
“Grooming policies that reinforce Eurocentric standards of beauty and myopic notions of what constitute professional hair remain problematic. The statutory protection the CROWN Act provides remains critically important, perhaps even more so, in the current climate. Since 2018, I have worked tirelessly to pass the CROWN Act and shift culture to mitigate the physical, psychological, and economic harm caused by race-based hair discrimination,” said Dr. Adjoa B. Asamoah, who leads the CROWN Act Coalition and is the scholar and strategist championing the nationwide movement. “Redressing the longstanding history of racial discrimination against natural hair and protective styles requires an unwavering commitment, and I am grateful for Senator Booker who has been on this journey with me from the beginning.”
Already, 27 states including Nebraska, Maine, and New Jersey have already enacted legislation expressly prohibiting hair discrimination, and 45 total states have either passed, pre-filed, filed, or formally stated intent to introduce legislation proposing similar classification in their state.
To read the full text of the bill, click here.